1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, and particularly relates to an image processing apparatus and method whereby graphics data can be processed at higher speeds.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 9 shows an example of a configuration of a computer game apparatus as a known image processing apparatus. Program data, graphics data, sound data, etc. is written to the CD-ROM 1. The pick-up 3 of the disk reproducing device 2 irradiates the CD-ROM 1 with a laser beam, and reproduces the data written in the CD-ROM 1, and outputs this data to the amplifying circuit 4. The amplifying circuit 4 amplifies the reproduced signals output from the pick-up 3, and outputs this to the signal processing circuit 5. The signal processing circuit 5 performs demodulation, decoding, error correction and the like to the reproduced signals supplied from the amplifying circuit 4, and then outputs the signals from the host bus 9 to the CPU 10, via the host interface 6.
Also, the micro-computer 7 of the disk reproducing device 2 monitors the output of the signal processing circuit 5, and controls the operation thereof. Further, the micro-computer 7 controls the servo circuit 8, and causes the servo circuit 8 to actuate the tracking servo, the focus servo, and the spindle servo.
The main memory 11 stores the data supplied from the disk reproducing device 2 via the host bus 9. The graphics processor 12 receives supply of the graphics data out of the data written to the main memory 11, provides this to the graphics memory 13 and stores the same, and also processes the graphics data and outputs to an unshown CRT or the like as video output. The sound processor 14 receives supply of the sound data out of the data written to the main memory 11, provides this to the sound memory 15 and stores the same, and also processes the sound data and outputs to an unshown speaker or the like as audio output.
The user operating an unshown operating unit causes a signal corresponding with that operation to be input to the CPU 10. The CPU 10 accordingly controls the disk reproducing device 2 to read the data stored in the CD-ROM 1, and store this data in the main memory 11. Of the data stored in the main memory 11, program data is supplied to the CPU 10, graphics data is stored in the graphics memory 13 via the graphics processor 12, and sound data is stored in the sound memory 15 via the sound processor 14.
The CPU 10 controls each unit according to the input program data. The graphics processor 12 processes graphics data stored in the graphics memory 13 to generate and output video data. The sound processor 14 processes sound data stored in the sound memory 15 to generate and output audio data.
Now, with such computer games, there is the need to move the pick-up 3 to a desired position on the CD-ROM 1 as the situation calls for. However, there is a problem in that the time required to move the pick-up 3 to the desired position (the seek time) is relatively long, making for poor random-accessibility. Further, there is a problem in that the transfer speed of the CD-ROM 1 is slow compared with that of a hard disk or the like, making the time until completion of data reading by the CPU 10 (the access time) longer. Consequently, it has been difficult to provide motion images which change at high speed.